Car-coupling



A. W. CLAUSEN.

CAR COUPLINGJ APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. 1917.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

A. W. CLAUSEN.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION man FEB. 26. 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ima e Ind ref 4 ARTHUR w. cLAussN, orcii icaeo, ILLINOIS,

GAB-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Application filed February 26, 1917. Serial No. 150,972.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Au'rnUuNV. GLAUSEN, a citizen of the United Eitates, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Sit-ate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to couplings for cars and has particular reference to a novel link and pin coupling for narrow cars, such as ladle, mold or minecars.

It will. be understood that in the use of ladle and, mold cars, it is undesirable to provide any coupling device. which shall require operation from the top, that is, in which there shall bean opening through the top wall of the sill or housing for the cou pling device. Thisfor the reason that metal, slag. or cinder may be spilled and seriously interfere with the operation of any coupling device having such vertical opening. It is furt iermore desirable, and in fact necessary in the event of the employment of a bottom operating device,to provide operating means which may be actuated from the side of the car. 7

I am aware that certain devices having this function have been proposed, the means herein shown and described having, marterial advantages thereover. One of the important advantagcsis in that all the operating. parts of my device are mounted beneath a projecting ledgc or shelf where they are not likely to become damaged due to rough handling ofthe cars or their effectiveness to be impaired by the spilling of hot metal thereon. A further advantage is in that'my operatingdevice may be set or fixed in an open position of the coupler by the use of: but one of the operators hands that is by throwing a single lever the locking pin be disengagedand retained insuch position.- p

The inve'ntionwill be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figural isa bottom plan view of the ends of two cars, each of which is equipped with coupling apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention:

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of one of the coupling devices and,

Fig; 3- is asectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. a

Referring moreparticularly to the draw in'gs, it'wil] be seen that to the ends of cars such as indicated at 10, are secured massive castings which serve as the housings for the coupling apparatus and the operating means therefor. leach 01 these castings is provided with a top wall 11, a back or vertical wall 12, and. a depending front wall 13. A horizontal recess or pocket 14, is formed in the front wall, the opening being tapered, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A link, which may be in the form of a flat bar 15, having openings, 16, in its ends, is adapted to be seated in these recesses, one end of the bar being adapted to be accomodated in the pockets of each of cars to be coupled. A vertical pin 17, having an inclined upper end 18, serves to retain the link or bar in locked position. v The pin is inserted vertically through an openin t20, in the lower wall 19, of the casting. Projecting downwardlyfrom the bottom wall 19, are two pairs of apertured lugs or ears 21, 22. Pin operating levers 23, 24, are pivoted 1n the lugs, one arm of each lever bemg secured in the locking pin by means of the short transverse pin or bolt 25. The outer ends of the levers 23, 2 1, are angularly bent, as

best. shown in Fig. 2, and terminate in handles 26, 27. The levers in their oscillation are guided between the back wall 12, and a link 28, fixed to the back wall by pins or rivets 29, 30.

Also pivoted on the pin 30, abell-crank which acts a trigger and serves to retain the pin-operating lever uncoupling position. Onearm 31, of the bell crank acts as a handle to be manually grasped by the operator, while the other arm 32, is adapted to cooperate with a notch 33, formed in the lover. The position of thc'parts when the arm 32, cooperates with the notch 38, is shown indotte'dliues in Fig. 2. From that figure1 it will. be seen that by grasping. the handle 31, and rotating the bell-crank, the

lever is caused to" beinovedon its pivot and due to thegreater weight of material on the outside ofthe pivot of the lever. If, how

ever, the operator wishes merely to move the pin to unlocking posltion-and-notto retain the same in that position he will lift on the handle 27, thereby lowering the pin. After the cars have been pulled apart the lever may be released'when it will drop to the locking position. 7

' It will be noted that all the operating parts are protected beneath the overhanging top wall 11', ofthe casting and therefore are not likely to become damaged. :Furthermore that thelock may be placed in lock-set position by one of the operators hands, if necespocket membeiyan upright locking pin work ing through-the bottom of the pocket member, an uncoupling lever fulcrumed between its ends and extending transversely with respect to'a car,"one end ofthe' lever being associated with the locking pin and the other end of the lever being free and accessible and constituting anoperating handle, and abell crank locking lever mountedindependently of said uncoupling lever, one arm of the bell crank lever constituting'a handle and the other 'arm constituting a dog in cooperative relation with the uncoupling lever for moving the same, the uncoupling lever having a seat to receive the dog arm of the locking lever to hold the latter inone position thereof.

' 2. Uncoupling mechanism for car couplers, comprising an uncoupling lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends and'having one end free'and accessible and constituting'a'handle, the underside ofthelever being provided with a seat, and a bell crank locking lever having one arm constituting a handle and the other arm constituting afdog'in wiping relation with the underside of the uncoupling lever for manipulating the latter by movement of the locking lever, the seat in the uncoupling lever being disposed to receive the free"'e nd of the dog to lock the uncoupling lever.

In uncoupling mechanism for car cou l'ers the COIIllOlIlELtlOIl of a vertlcall I u I a swinging uncoupling lever fulcrumed lntermediate of its ends, one end portion of the lever'constituting a handle and lying in a higher plane than that of the other end portion of the lever, said handle portion of the lever having a seat in the under side thereof, and a bell crank locking lever fulcrunied below the handle end portion of the uncoupling lever and having one arm constituting a handle and the other arm constituting a dog, said-dog being disposed in wiping relation with the underside of the handle end of the uncoupling lever, and the seat in the uncoupling lever being disposed to receive the free end of the dog in an upright position thereof for locking the uncoupling lever.

at. In a car coupler, a casting including a body having a substantially horizontal pocket openingthrough the front thereof and provided with a horizontal shelf extending in opposite directions at the top of the casting, front and rear flanges depend ing from the shelf and projecting at opposite sides of the body, a locking pin working through the bottom of the body and into the locket thereof a verticall rockin uncoupling lever fulcrumed intermediate of its ends upon the bottom of the body and hav ing its inner end associated with the locking pin and its opposite end constituting a handle lying beneath the shelf and accessible beneath one end thereof, the depending flanges constituting guards for the lever.

5. In a car coupler the combination of a casting includinga body having a pocket opening through the front thereof, a horizontal shelf at the top of the body and extending in opposite directions therefrom, front and rear flanges depending from the shelf at opposite sidcsof the body, a locking pin working through the bottom of the pocket, an uncoupling lever fulcrumed be tween its ends upon a bracket depending from the body, the inner end of the lever being associated with the locking pin, the outer end of the lever being disposed above the inner portionof the lever and lying between the adjacent front and rear flanges and constitutinga handle, and a locking bell crank lever hung from'the casting and fulcrumed'below the handle'portion of the uncoupling'lever and having one arm constituting a dog in wiping relation with the underside of'the h'andle'portion of the uncoupling lever,'said l'incouplin rlever having a seat disposed for engagement by the dog in an' upright position thereof to lock the uncoupling lever.

6. Aca'r coupler pocket comprising a casting including abody having a pocket opening, the bottom of the pockethaving an upright opening to receive a locking pin, shelf portions extendingin opposite directions at the top'of'the body transversely with respect to the pocket opening, and frontand rear flanges depending from the shelf and disposed at opposite sides of the body.

' 7. A car coupler pocket comprising a casting including a body having a pocket opening, the bottom of the pocket having an uprightopening to receive a locking pin, shelf portions extending in opposite directions at the top of the body transversely with respect to the pocket opening, and front and rear flanges depending from-the shelf" and 1 disposed at opposite sides of the body, the body being provided with bolt openings extending therethrongh from front to rear and at opposite sides oi tl e pocket opening.

8. i l car coupler pocket comprising a casting including a body having a pocket opening, the bottom of the pocket having an upright opening to receive a locking pin, shelf portions extending in opposite directions at the top of the body transversely with respect to the pocket opening, and front and rear flanges depending from the shelf and disposed at opposite sides of the body, a coupling pin working through the opening in the bottom of the pocket, or vertically swinging uncoupling lever having an inner 1'- tion i nlcrnmed upon the bottom of the body and associated with the locking pin, the

outer portion of the lever being disposed at a higher elevation than the lnner portion and also located between the front and rear flanges, the outer extremity of the lever constitntlng a handle, and. e bellcrank locklng lever fulcrumed between the flanges and below the upper portion of the unlocklng lever and having an arm in Wiping relation wlth the under side of the unlocking lever and eonstltntlng a dog to lock the unlocklng lever 1n an upright posltion of the dog.

oigned at (ahlcago, Illinois, this 22nd day oi Febn, 1917.

ARTHUR \V. CLA'USEN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES VVATsoN, C. W. ROBERTSON. 

